The Hunt
by Aro Holmes
Summary: Aro and Caius have been mates for nearly three thousand years and Caius still has some odd ideas about how to spend their anniversary. Luckily Aro is willing to play along, and make sure there's plenty of time for romance. PWP.


_Author's Note: In this variant, Aro and Caius are mates, and the Volturi have their headquarters in London and have enacted a new law against live feeding.  
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_Warning: pervasive mature content._

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><p>"You know," said Aro as they walked down the deserted and darkened passageway. "When you said 'let's do something different for our anniversary this year,' I thought you meant something more oh I don't know, romantic, than chasing rogue vampires through abandoned industrial sites."<p>

Caius quirked his eyebrows sardonically. "After nearly three thousand years of anniversaries, haven't you gotten tired of romantic?"

"Never," said Aro, grinning widely. He reached out and took his mate's hand, interlacing their fingers and caressing his thumb over the engraved ring that Caius wore, the duplicate to the one on his own right hand.

Caius suppressed a little smile of happiness at Aro's touch and instead kept his expression cool and business-like. "We can't leave all the work to the guard. Eventually people will accuse us of getting soft in our old age."

Aro released Caius and slipped his hand under Caius's leather jacket, running his fingertips up his spine suggestively.

"I don't think anyone could accuse us of ever being soft, dear one," he said, dropping his already low voice.

Caius spun around and shoved Aro up against the nearest wall, a little out of breath with excitement in spite of his years of self-control. Aro grinned at him with eyes that gleamed eagerly in the dim light, their faces close, lips almost touching.

Slowly, Caius ran his hands along Aro, pinning him in place with his own body. His fingers slid over the grainy surface of Aro's tall boots, all the way up to his thighs before his fingertips met the fabric of his trousers, then up still further, digging into the rise of his hips, getting under the long wool tweed coat and up along the curve of his back, fingertips rasping against the fine linen shirt.

"Why are you dressed like Sherlock Holmes moonlighting as a stripper?" Caius muttered, lowering his head to press his mouth under Aro's jaw and dragging his cool tongue along its outline.

Aro gasped at Caius's touch, warm as their cool bodies met, and rocked his hips against Caius's in a gentle, insinuating motion, tightening his slender fingers around his waist.

"Why are you dressed like a teenage biker?" he returned, and pushed Caius back a little, shoving up the thin t-shirt as he ran his hands over Caius's chest, teasing and caressing.

"I said we should dress down for where we were going tonight, at least I followed my own instructions," said Caius, a hitch in his voice. He pushed back against Aro's resistance, rolling his hips as he kissed along the curve of his neck under the dark fall of his hair.

"This is dressing down," murmured Aro against Caius's cheek. "When was the last time you saw me not wearing a suit? Excepting all the times you've seen me naked recently." His hands dragged back down Caius's hard stomach and then, loosening his belt, dipped lower, stroking and pulling, pressing his lips over Caius's face.

Caius moaned desperately and swiftly captured Aro's wrists, slamming them against the wall on either side of Aro's head as he stared into his face, full of desire, a mirror of his own.

"This place is certainly more downscale than we're used to," said Aro sweetly, "let's go somewhere better."

"We're supposed to be tracking down our quarry," replied Caius, his voice thick.

"So we are," said Aro, smiling irresistibly, his gaze falling with obvious intention to Caius's soft mouth, and Caius lunged forward without a second thought. Their lips met at last, Caius releasing Aro's wrists to bury his hands in his mate's thick hair, Aro's tongue swallowing up all his words, taking his mind and thoughts as well as his body.

The plaster wall gave a little under pressure, cracks starting to run along its edges as Caius ground his hips against Aro's, their inexhaustible need for each other running through them like surges of electricity. Caius dragged his fingers down Aro's leg, pulled one knee up against his waist to give himself greater access, and thrust harder, groaning loudly as the sensations grew in intensity. Aro's breath came in quick, shallow sighs, rising in pitch, and he dug his fingers into Caius's shoulders, bracing himself between his mate and the wall, knowing which of the two was more capable of supporting him.

Wanting more, Aro spun Caius around and up against the wall in a dark blur of motion, cracking the concrete wall properly this time. Holding Caius by his hips, Aro leaned in to kiss him again, more slowly this time but no less passionately, peeling down Caius's tight jeans and lifting him slightly without breaking the kiss, loosening his own trousers one-handed.

Caius arched and strained as his mate entered him. Aro always did know how to get to him, so easily and so smoothly, knowing how to move just so, how to touch what was needed, thrusting rhythmically now, holding him easily with Caius's knees riding high against his waist. Caius had wanted to surprise Aro, to draw out their play over the course of the evening, but as soon as he was in Aro's arms, all that Caius wanted was their union, to get as close to him as he could, to be held in that place of greater safety that was Aro's heart.

"Aro...now, please...," Caius gasped in a harsh whisper.

Aro gave a small whimper of answering excitement, and quickened his movements, already buried as deeply as he could, shoving upward with a bruising speed until Caius jerked forward, drowning his cry of release in Aro's shoulder.

"Cai...Caius..." Aro sighed brokenly, his climax convulsing through him as he clutched at Caius's white blond hair. Their surroundings and their hunt momentarily forgotten.

* * *

><p>"I've lost the scent now," said Caius, frowning a little as he surveyed the city below their vantage point on the rooftop.<p>

"You're a skilled tracker," Aro reassured him cheerfully. "Just give it a moment."

Caius gave him a sidelong glare, half teasing, half serious. "Perhaps if you weren't being so distracting..."

Aro, posed against the skyline in dramatic fashion with one foot resting on the parapet, flashed a small, intoxicating grin at his mate.

Caius looked away quickly, but it was really too late.

"Of course you realize making up a reason for why we couldn't spend the whole evening having each other has made me want you even more?" inquired Aro, suddenly behind his shoulder, his lips brushing Caius's ear.

Caius shivered and turned around, seizing Aro's face and kissing him with an aggression that could not help but encourage his mate. Aro pulled him away from the edge of the roof and down onto the cold surface, bracing himself over Caius with one hand on the rooftop while with the other he quickly pulled one knee up to him and then slid his hand down the back of Caius's jeans. He broke the kiss to smile widely at Caius who was already breathing heavily at his touch and grabbing fistfuls of his coat to anchor himself.

"Less distraction always amounts to more, don't you think?" inquired Aro innocently. "Better to go all the way...unless you'd rather I stopped?"

"Don't stop," Caius gasped. "Oh gods, Aro..." he was writhing now, trapped between the friction of Aro's body against his and the actions of his fingers, backed up as it was by the hardness of the concrete slab.

Aro grinned wider and increased the simultaneous grind and thrust of his movements, watching Caius's expression.

"Aro...I want..."whispered Caius in a choked whisper. _Everything. All of you. Take me into you entirely._

"I know," interrupted Aro softly, and lowered his head to kiss him, his skillful tongue at work, until Caius lost it entirely, trembling under him as he came undone, and then lying limp and temporarily satiated, his pale gold lashes half-lowered over his large eyes. Aro, giddy with triumph, went quiet, looking at him with a thoughtful expression, fingering his beautiful face.

Wordlessly, Caius placed his palm flat against Aro's chest and guided him back with it, turning him until Aro was lying on his back and Caius was above, Aro's long coat spread out around them. Slowly Caius ran one finger gently over his mate's face, starting at his forehead and running over the line of his nose, down over the double swell of his lips and then along the curve of his chin as Aro tilted his head back. He dipped his head to press a kiss to the base of Aro's throat and was rewarded with a low moan and Aro wrapping his legs around him. Caius slid his hands to Aro's hips and tugged his trousers down.

The heels of Aro's tall boots dug into Caius as he ground, a pleasing bit of roughness for such a gentle encounter but Aro's increasing moans were due just as much to what he was receiving from his mate's mind as from his body. To have Caius articulate just how much he loved him was intoxicating enough to Aro but to have it delivered in such a way was almost too much, and his climax this time was hard enough to cause him to black out, returning to consciousness only to spend a few more minutes staring up past Caius's slumped shoulder at the night sky and its shrouded stars.

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><p>They landed on the next rooftop silently, their brief arcing flight covering an impossible distance. Aro moved in a blur of motion to the edge of the roof and looked out, the same complex network of streets, alleyways, and work yards still visible from this new vantage point.<p>

Caius shifted to stand behind him, putting his arms around him possessively and bringing his face next to Aro's.

Aro smiled. "You've found the scent. I knew you would."

He turned his head and Caius's mouth met his in a fervent kiss, one hand moving to grasp the back of Aro's head, pulling him back to get at him. Aro tried to turn completely but Caius resisted, instead grabbing Aro's wrists and pressing his palms against the parapet. Aro grinned approvingly and held on as Caius twitched aside the back of his coat and unbuckled his belt.

"You're not even pretending now," teased Aro. "What happened to no distractions until the hunt is over?" The last word disappeared in a breathy stutter as Caius entered him, his fingers digging grooves into the concrete.

"I gave up," replied Caius, shoving against Aro. "You're just impossible." He leaned forward and rested his head on Aro's back as he moved, the textured surface of the coat and Aro's body underneath it made him feel as though he was warm and protected, though he could feel no cold.

Aro, seeing the gleaming network of the city below through a haze of desire, felt mesmerized, enchanted, in some kind of dream that Caius was creating for him.

"Caius," he whispered. "Come with me. Don't hold back."

Caius moaned and pushed faster, feeling the tension building in Aro in time with his own. But he was afraid to lead like this, suddenly unsure of his own skill.

"Trust me," gasped Aro, and arched back suddenly with a sharp groan, nearly breaking the parapet into pieces with his grip.

Caius, his arms wrapped around Aro's chest, cried out, muffling the sound against Aro's dark hair, and struggling to keep upright as the aftershocks surged through him. He drew in full breaths, drowning in Aro's scent, and then finding beyond it, his quarry, the hunt that still continued.

* * *

><p>They found the first victim at the bottom of an elevator shaft several floors down. The scent of blood was fresh, and with it the distinctive reek of their quarry's venom.<p>

"Well that's needlessly graphic," remarked Aro as they stood looking down at the body. When he got no response to his sarcasm, he looked over sharply at Caius, seeing from his fixed glare and flared nostrils that romance had definitely gone out the window for the present. Any kind of deviant activity among the vampiric community caused him annoyance, but this kind of compounded crime, defying the current ban on live feeding and risking a secrecy breach through repeated and visible killings, made him actually angry.

Aro put a hand on Caius's arm soothingly. "We'll catch him," he said. "That's why we're here."

Caius turned without a word, his face set and menacing as they followed the invisible trail out into the night, keeping out of the range of the few CCTV cameras in the area, and changing the direction of their progress every so often as they followed an enemy who relied not on physical pathways but on the worst and most cruel fluctuations of human behavior, taking its path of least resistance through the mind itself.

A second victim, bloodied and male like the first, was propped up against the brick wall of a back alleyway, alongside trash and recycling containers.

Caius touched Aro's hand briefly.

_We're close._

Aro nodded, his previous expression of concern and activity shifting into the terrifying neutrality with which he approached the judging and condemnation of those foolish enough to break the laws of the Volturi.

Caius's head went up suddenly and he moved, swift as a shadow, running down the alleyway and out into the street, with Aro close behind.

Their quarry was right under them now, a moment more and they might lose him. The street was not empty, a couple of cabs and some passersby on their way to the pub down the road or back to their homes. Caius slowed down to a human speed as he exited the alley, but did not stop, instead sliding over the hood of a cab that had just come to a halt along the curb, grabbing hold of the man who was just about to enter the back passenger side and slamming his head through the open car door, fingers tangling in the unruly mop of hair.

The cabbie and several pedestrians exclaimed in surprise, a couple reaching for their mobiles, although whether it was to call for the police or film the altercation, Caius did not waste time finding out. Taking advantage of the momentarily stunned state of his quarry, he dragged the vampire away from the street, several feet down the alleyway and then a considerable distance in the blink of an eye, ending up at the back of a boarded up machine shop, Aro appearing a moment later at his side.

"We won't bore you with the litany of crimes you've committed in the last month alone," said Caius, looking coldly down at the pale young man at his feet, cracks healing along his greyed skin from where Caius had gripped him.

The vampire looked up at the two Volturi, dark and somber Aro, his hands clasping and unclasping as though deep in thought, and white hot Caius, scowling fiercely.

"Should I even bother explaining myself?" he asked with a sideways quirk of his mouth. "I'm dead anyway."

Aro reached out and gently touched his fingertips to the man's face.

"Since you cannot believe you are not a monster, you seek to make the best of your time as a vampire by hunting and slaughtering those are still human and very definitely monsters. Murderers, rapists, molesters, abusers. An avenging angel. Your defense is duly noted," Aro's voice whispered soft and low, a velvet rasp of breath against air as he leaned close.

Another quirk of the mouth, more bittersweet now.

"What else could I do? I'm a killer, aren't I? What else am I made for?"

Aro pulled back and heaved a heavy sigh, tilting his head to one side.

"I could say many things, but you would not believe me."

"Why should I? You're nothing but a killer yourself, cold-hearted and without morals."

"Shut up," Caius snapped. He leaned close himself, his face inches from the quarry's hooded gaze. "You have made trouble enough for one night." He was really very angry now, not just at the law-breaker, but at himself for thinking it was a good idea to make this the focus of their anniversary date. The rough pleasure of the hunt itself was over now, leaving only the sordid details, and once again, Aro knowing too much about someone else's sick delusions.

* * *

><p>The smell of ash was still in the air when they left, moving quickly again, keeping to the shadows until they reached the nearest main road, thick with traffic, continuing at an easy pace down the crowded sidewalk. They were silent for a while, Caius looking straight ahead and Aro giving him quick glances, waiting until his expression softened a little before taking his hand and interlacing their fingers, reading the source of Caius's moodiness and its endless reiterations since the execution.<p>

Caius had nothing to add verbally and Aro held his tongue, feeling that his mate's distress was too emotional and too complicated to work through in public. Instead he stopped their aimless walking, changing direction and finding his way according to his perfect memory of every street and every location in London, until they reached a tall and warmly illuminated building with a wide awning in front. Caius looked up in surprise at the hotel entrance and then at Aro who pulled him inside.

"We might as well just go home," said Caius, still sounding morose, as they entered the hotel lobby. Although he felt sick thinking about the concerned looks he was sure to get from Marcus and Didyme if he and Aro arrived home early from their date.

Aro only smiled affectionately and made his way to the reception desk, sliding his hand into the back pocket of Caius's jeans and propelling him forward.

"Do you have any rooms available for tonight?" Aro inquired. He beamed at the receptionist who had looked up to take in the sight of Aro, resplendent in his long 19th century style overcoat and sleekly black and tailored clothing, and Caius, looking like a punkish, feral youth in his leather and jeans. She looked at them with human eyes, seeing only their attraction at first, and then something more. She smiled back, friendliness replacing open curiosity.

"Let me check the computer," she said, clicking some keys. "Yes, we have one room available. I'm afraid it's one of our most expensive suites, we have a conference on at the moment, you see."

"That is no trouble for us," responded Aro cheerfully, presenting her with a credit card.

She glanced up again at them as she clicked more keys. "So...how many years is it?" she asked.

Aro chuckled. "Is it that glaringly obvious?"

"Matching rings, no luggage, spontaneous hotel room seeking? If you're in my profession, you learn to spot the signs of anniversary romance," she said, smiling.

Aro grinned widely, and Caius looked away, a little embarrassed at being read so easily, out in the open like this in front of strangers.

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><p>The hotel room was indeed quite expensive, and looked it. Aro gave it a cursory approving examination and then drew Caius close and hugged him tightly, pressing his face against his mate's neck and drawing in his scent.<p>

Caius sighed unhappily and returned the embrace, leaning into him. Aro raised his head and took Caius's face in his hands, smiling at him warmly until Caius relaxed a little and accepted his mate's kiss, lightly at first and then harder, turning and dipping his head to get closer to Aro as the kiss became more demanding, more demonstrative.

Aro slid out of his coat and shoved Caius's jacket off in a single movement before pressing kisses along Caius's throat and over his shoulders, dragging the t-shirt over his head and then moving along his chest and down his stomach to his hips, going down on his knees, fingers hooking under Caius's belt.

He stopped completely at this point, gazing up at Caius with a sudden shift in expression from warm desire to vulnerable need.

"What's the matter?" asked Caius in concern, his hands buried in Aro's thick hair.

"I was just thinking," said Aro. "That vampire tonight, he was completely alone in the world, separated from life because no one connected him to it, no one was with him. But I've never known that absence. All our long years, we've been together. I've never had to know what it was to be alone, not ever, not once."

Caius's fingers tightened in Aro's hair and he hauled him up roughly so that they were face to face again, his gaze intense and burning. He leaned his forehead against Aro's and let the one vivid memory he had left of his human life fill his mind.

_Running through the marketplace, dodging and ducking, everything looming over him in the dry golden heat of the afternoon. He was breathless, his throat scraped raw, pain and punishment following at his heels, not yet upon him but gaining. And then all at once he saw the boy, a few years older than he was, with a mass of dark hair and large, pale blue eyes, at once laughing and steady. Caius registered an immediate understanding in his young mind which he did not stop to question, and dove at the boy, wrapping himself around one leg and holding on tightly. Here in the midst of threat and danger, was the only place of refuge and sanctuary, the place of safety._

Aro smiled, caressing Caius's face, and wishing for the thousandth time that he could show Caius his own memory, of looking down in surprise to see a small boy, nearly half his age, hair the color of snow, an iron thrall ring around his neck, holding onto him and looking up with an expression that was both desperate and passionate.

The intensity of Caius's gaze softened, and his hands were gentle as he unfastened Aro's clothing, parting sliding aside buttons, belt buckle, and the zippers of Aro's boots. Aro effortlessly stripped him the rest of the way, his fingers entangling in Caius's blond hair as he kissed him, eagerness making him almost clumsy.

There were few vampires who enjoyed clothing more than Aro, but nevertheless it was a relief finally to do away with these physical barriers and signifiers of changing fashion and to just be with Caius, naked and true, their real selves. He tugged Caius over onto the wide bed so that they lay side by side. They could take their time now, kissing slowly, skin against skin as their hands moved over each other.

Aro's touch became more urgent, stroking and holding Caius's slim, broad shouldered body. He broke from the kiss to gaze into Caius's large eyes with the same expression of need as before. Caius's face was open, trusting, washed clean of the bitter doubt that had followed him all evening. Aro moved him onto his back and kissed along his throat while he gathered his legs around him. Caius wrapped his arms around him loosely, moaning softly as Aro began to move inside him.

As soon as he started, Aro knew he had made a mistake in coming to the hotel, in choosing any place so public and inhabited. The evening had been too full of emotion, and he had gotten too worked up. He was going to break the bed and possibly the floor, he has going to obliterate their surroundings. Aro grimaced, trying to hold himself back, making his hands unclench from the sheets, forcing himself not to thrust quite so vigorously. Caius opened his eyes and looked up at him, understanding, and cupped his face with one hand in an effort to calm him.

The more Aro controlled himself, the more intensity built up inside of him. A shout was forming within his body, starting in his chest and gaining strength as it went. He could not keep it back, no matter how hard he tried, and it got worse as he neared his release. Just as he came, shaking and shuddering, Caius's hand flew to his mouth and clamped it shut, so forcefully that hairline cracks spiraled out over Aro's face, muffling the cry down to the level of a normal human exclamation of agony or ecstasy.

At the sight of Aro's climax, Caius could retrain his own no longer. His hand moved quickly from Aro's mouth to the back of his neck, holding on as his body arched, hips lifting off the bed, lips parted silently as his head tilted back, while Aro seemed to burn above him like a fiery sun, black as night.

* * *

><p>"I suppose it came out all right in the end," said Caius. "Even though it was a stupid idea, turning our anniversary into a work date."<p>

They were lying together on the bed, arms around each other and legs intertwined, Aro stroking Caius's hair and Caius's head pillowed under his chin.

"I wouldn't say that," said Aro, and he pressed a kiss to Caius's forehead. "Tonight was supposed to be all about confirming and renewing our mating bond, and this is who we are as a mated pair. We hunt together and we rule together. That's part of our bond too, part of our intimacy. I'm glad you choose this."

Caius looked up at him and smiled. Not his more typical evil smile but the one he hardly ever used with anyone but Aro, the sweet and lovely smile that always seemed to send a dart of happiness straight into Aro's heart.

"I love you," said Caius softly.

"I love you too," said Aro, his voice choked with emotion, and he bent his head to kiss his mate, drawing him closer.

What a lovely anniversary, he thought.


End file.
